Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The commonwealth of Massachusetts has signaled it will request a hold on the anticipated approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Staff at the federal regulator indicated in a filing last week that it was prepared around Aug. 21 to authorize the […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has certified Holtec International’s latest spent nuclear fuel transportation package. The Camden, N.J., energy technology company last week announced the approval following a review that began in February 2018, which will allow it to deploy the HI-STAR 100MB. Management expects it will be used to ship spent fuel from nuclear […]

Staff at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission said in a notice Tuesday it plans to approve the license transfer for the retired Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. The license transfer will enable owner Entergy to sell the single-reactor facility on Cape Cod to Holtec International for decommissioning. Staff expects to formally approve the transfer […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a series of public meetings to take public input on best practices for community advisory boards for nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning. The meetings will contribute to the agency’s preparation of a report to Congress on best practices for forming and operating such local boards, as required by […]

Waste Control Specialists has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to confirm that certain prior directions on requirements for disposal of very low-level radioactive waste (VLLW) do not apply to its operation in West Texas. The federal agency’s 2016 regulatory issue summary on VLLW disposal (RIS 2016-11), along with its communication last year with the […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) said Tuesday it has delayed by about three weeks releasing a request for proposals for decommissioning its SM-1 nuclear power reactor at Fort Belvoir, Va. The procurement notice, previously expected around July 29, is now scheduled to be issued during the week of Aug. 19, according to Brenda […]

By John Stang The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission should disregard the commonwealth of Massachusetts’ request for a 90-day stay on its review of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, the plant’s owner and prospective buyer said Monday. Entergy and Holtec International argued that the delay is not needed even as they […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission should disregard the commonwealth of Massachusetts’ request for a 90-day stay on its review of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, the plant’s owner and prospective buyer said Monday. “The Commission should deny this Motion because it is inconsistent with NRC rules and practice, unsupported by […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June continued to spend next to nothing from its remaining balance from the federal fund intended to pay for a nuclear waste disposal facility. The agency spent only $479 from the Nuclear Waste Fund for unspecified “program planning and support,” according to its latest monthly report to Congress. “While […]

BWX Technologies said Monday it posted $471 million in revenue for the second quarter of 2019, 7.4% better than the $439 million recorded for the same period in 2018. Net income for the quarter dropped slightly to $58.9 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, from $60.7 million, or $0.60 per diluted share, a year earlier. […]

The commonwealth of Massachusetts on Thursday asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to place a 90-day stay on its consideration of the license transfer application for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The hold is needed to allow officials from Massachusetts and the plant’s owner and prospective buyer to reach a potential settlement addressing concerns the […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to switch the means of transport to disposal of 200,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The company plans to move the wastewater primarily by rail to a disposal site in Idaho, rather than by truck as previously […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last week began inspecting two recent incidents at Westinghouse Electric’s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in South Carolina. The event involved the May 12 discovery of leakage from a waste-transport carrier at the plant and a July 12 incident in which a drum of radioactively contaminated material pressurized and ignited. […]

Entergy on Wednesday said it took a revenue hit from the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 2019. Even so, the New Orleans-based power company’s Entergy Wholesale Commodities (EWC) business slimmed its losses in the latest earning period. Entergy Wholesale Commodities reported a $26 million loss, or […]

The White House is expected to submit two nominations in tandem for positions on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an informed source said this week. Senate Appropriations Committee staffer Christopher Hanson would be nominated to succeed Stephen Burns, who retired from the commission in April ahead of the end of his term on June 30. […]

Entergy on Wednesday said it took a revenue hit from the closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts during the second quarter of 2019. Even so, the New Orleans-based power company’s Entergy Wholesale Commodities (EWC) business slimmed its losses in the latest earning period. Entergy Wholesale Commodities reported a $26 million loss, or […]

Holtec International has issued its first major contract for decommissioning of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. The contract went, as anticipated, to Comprehensive Decommissioning International, a joint venture of Holtec and Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin formed specifically for cleanup of retired nuclear power plants. The contract is worth hundreds of millions […]

The White House is expected to submit two nominations in tandem for positions on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, an informed source said this week. Senate Appropriations Committee staffer Christopher Hanson would be nominated to succeed Stephen Burns, who retired from the commission in April ahead of the end of his term on June 30. […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 22 issued a regulatory exemption allowing Entergy Nuclear Operations to use money in the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s decommissioning trust fund for spent fuel management and site restorations activities. Entergy requested the exemption in November 2018 for the Massachusetts facility. On July 1, the NRC staff issued an environmental […]

The Energy Communities Alliance says the U.S. Energy Department’s reinterpretation of the definition for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) could expedite disposal of such material now held at four nuclear cleanup sites. The ECA said it “can reasonably interpret that the waste streams to which this interpretation may apply” are the canisters of waste that have […]

NorthStar Group Services has requested approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to switch the means of transport to disposal of 200,000 gallons of contaminated wastewater from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The company plans to move the wastewater primarily by rail to a disposal site in Idaho, rather by truck as previously OK’d […]

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Monday issued a presolicitation notice for a contractor to provide environmental remediation under its Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) and other federal cleanup programs. The pre-placed remedial action contract, with multiple indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task orders, would be conducted under the Army Corps’ Multiple Environmental Government Acquisition […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday opened a public comment period on a new finding that most Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste could be disposed of via near-surface facilities. Stakeholders have until Sept. 20 to submit comments on the draft regulatory basis issued last week by NRC staff, according to a filing in […]

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a two-year, $2.7 trillion budget agreement on a 284-149 vote, a move that would allow the federal government to keep borrowing money. The new federal budget caps deal provides $2.5 billion more in base defense spending than the 2020 budget the House of Representatives has already approved. The […]

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) will participate in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s development of an environmental impact statement for Holtec International’s application to build and operate a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the state. The state agency’s role is formalized in a memorandum of understanding between the two organizations, which was […]

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday opened the public comment period on a new finding that most Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive waste could be disposed of via near-surface facilities. Stakeholders have until Sept. 20 to submit comments on the draft regulatory basis issued last week by NRC staff, according to a filing in […]

The nuclear industry wants to ensure the Department of Energy completes an ongoing research project on dry storage of high-burnup reactor fuel. The Nuclear Energy Institute, the trade association for the industry, on June 25 submitted its sixth update to the Energy Department regarding research and development priorities for the long-term storage and transportation of […]

The California Coastal Commission is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit that is necessary for major decommissioning to begin on two retired reactors at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). The commission had been scheduled in June to take up Southern California Edison’s application for a coastal development permit, but […]

Nuclear services firm EnergySolutions on Tuesday announced its first foray into the burgeoning business for buying retired nuclear power plants for decommissioning. The Salt Lake City-based company said it had inked a term sheet with a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. for the asset transfer of reactor Unit 2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating […]

An air tunnel at a degrading Savannah River Site nuclear materials processing facility should be able to withstand an earthquake, according to a detailed analysis for the Department of Energy, despite concerns raised two years ago by a federal safety board. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), management and operations contractor for the 310-square-mile DOE facility […]